 |
< Go back to Minutes menu
Minutes of Steering Group Meeting
Present: David Miles (Chair), Mike Walkden, Martin Calvert, Teresa Williams, Adrian
Coltman, David Lumb, Christian Kemp, Hazel Gregory (notes).
Steve Jones Blackett, Simon Conyers. 2. Minutes of the last Meeting Agreed as a true record.
No volunteer has yet been identified to develop the newsletter.
5. Next Action Morning: Sunday June 14th
6. Project to Refurbish Footpaths
MW has met with Simon Conyers to discuss new
FGVW website, & they will produce proposals for discussion. Mike is constructing a
draft for new website which is not far off ready for consideration. This will include
Green Fair website.
Current FGVW website has been migrated to new hosting arrangement & is now
being managed by Mike rather than Adam, but is currently almost identical to old
one.
Mike has made the Green fair website more likely to come up in search engines.
Also will look at Green Fair being added to other websites including LCC.
MC - recognition of Adam’s work on website and Carol’s on minute-taking over
decades. Newsletter Launch and Performance: The first edition of the new newsletter achieved a 50% open rate and a 16% click-through rate to the Green Fair website. The group plans to establish a regular monthly letter, with future editions covering water testing, green fair updates, and project announcements. Social Media and Cross-Promotion: The group agreed to cross-promote events with other local groups on social media, and to consider the future use of QR codes on physical boards in the woods to drive newsletter sign-ups and engagement. Hazel is awaiting editing rights to the Instagram page, from Steve. Inter-Group Collaboration: Simon shared insights from recent meeting with other local 'Friends' groups. Reported that other groups, such as Friends of Roundhay Park, face similar difficulties in recruiting trustees, often due to the time commitment required. The group discussed strategies to build a pipeline of volunteers who can gradually take on more responsibility. Simon provided informal advice to other groups on the differences between unincorporated associations and CIOs, and the importance of legal protections. The group agreed that sharing knowledge and supporting each other is mutually beneficial. The group plans to meet with other local 'Friends' groups every four months to exchange ideas & knowledge, share updates, and coordinate activities, including cross-promotion on social media. Also, HG attended Leeds Parks & Green Spaces forum in April. Raised with trustees whether more benches could be installed to improve accessibility of woods along their length. Projects: RSC clarified that completion of the Wetland project will not include Japanese knotweed treatment, as this will require spraying due to the size and timing. Action Mornings and Woodland Maintenance: Louise from Parks and Countryside will lead sessions to cut laurel and rhododendron, possibly at Action Mornings. The group noted fallen trees blocking paths, with reports made to Forestry and the council. Finance and Bank Account Transition: Hazel has been doing all the banking and accounting since January, but Steve remains listed as a trustee on the Charity Commission website and is still registered as the main user on the bank account. Hazel has contacted Steve to expedite the transfer of main user status for the bank account, after which he can be removed from the Charity Commission website. Current Financial Position: Total £21K with £11.5K in unrestricted funds and approximately £9.5K in restricted funds, including specific grants for climate, paths, and ASDA. Additional funding is anticipated pending grant application outcomes. Membership List Sensitivity Check: HG requested that membership list is reviewed for any deceased members, to avoid inappropriate communications. AC thinks he has removed Hazel Woodcock (deceased) from list and that Audrey was not on it. 10. Water Quality Monitoring
DM, DL & HG met with LCC (Jonathan Moxon - Flood Resilience & Jason Boatman -
Highways Maintenance) and Councillors (Jane Dowson & Mohammed Rafique) in the
woods re. pollution in beck from road run-off, following testing of sample of sludge
collected by DM after gully cleaning. Jason explained process and denied that gully-
cleaning could cause the sludge, as they suck up blockages rather than discharging
material. He agreed to inform us of when they’ll be doing it in future. It takes place
every 2 years unless there’s an emergency. He has emailed saying next cleaning will
be in June. Will tell us days & times - plan is to observe outflow from gullies following
this.
DM updated on Aqua project (Universities of York & Leeds). On 10th July, meeting
will be held at York Uni with citizen science groups including FGVW. Project is
developing ways to get testing for more chemicals done more easily, cheaply &
locally. Groups will then be asked to monitor intensively over a period in the
summer. We will find out the time commitment involved in participating.
Environmental information regulations - DM has submitted an enquiry asking how
many hours Yorks Water have spent on investigating & addressing misconnections.
We already know that they are prioritising toilet misconnections as these pose the
most health risks.
There are 3500 signatures on the beck pollution petition now. We are still awaiting a
meeting with Fabian Hamilton MP due to illness.
After the recent trustees meeting, an email received from Kevin Anderson (property
manager) stated that, whilst the Trustees do not wish to enter into a formal lease
agreement with the Friends, they would in conjunction with the local parish like to
explore how we might work in collaboration with the Friends to achieve a similar
outcome. They will be get back to us after discussion with their sustainability group.
DM has asked Kevin whether the Salvation Army band could play in the field at the
Green Fair. Awaiting reply. AC says he could clear a space when he goes to cut paths
around Beck Pasture.
We have booked onto Gledfest (20th June, 3pm), Chapel Allerton Arts Festival (5-6th
Sept) and Heritage Open Day (13th Sept, 1:30 - 4pm).
Green Fair - AC, MC & TW will staff. Nesting boxes being made to sell. And cards -
FGVW’s and SJB’s. Jenny will also volunteer for FGVW. HG requests to be advised
which other volunteers are doing FGVW so are not available for other shifts. AGM is scheduled for 15th June, 7:30pm, in the lounge, Methodist Old Church Hall. Simon has emailed Notice to members within the required timescale, along with 2025 Trustee & Financial report and a reminder that people need to have paid membership fee in order to vote. AC is refurbishing display boards over the summer, and has done one already. He will also start on benches and small bridge. CK advised that the scouts are not available to help in the woods as their schedule now fixed for the summer. The Explorers may have been keen, but don’t have the leaders they would need for this. DM expressed concerns about amount of wood being stolen. DM & DL saw a man with a chainsaw (during cubs evening). Adrian has previously challenged people to show evidence of permission from LCC, resulting in them driving away. DM has raised the issue with Vicky Nunns, but LCC don’t seem inclined to pursue it. DL has contacted LCC refuse dept abut the piles of rubbish & full bins at Gledhow Hall. LCC said they would deal with it, but haven’t yet.Provisional Action mornings 2026
Sunday August 23rd
Sunday September 20th Next Steering group meeting: Thursday 13th August 7.30pm |
| ||
 |